Suggests to Bill O'Reilly that Obama's birth certificate says he is a Muslim

In an interview with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News, Trump escalated his birther rhetoric by suggesting a specific reason Obama hadn't released his long-form birth certificate. "Maybe it says he is a Muslim," Trump speculated. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want that." The comment explicitly linked the birther conspiracy with Islamophobic smears, a tactic that would become a hallmark of his political messaging.

"Maybe it says he is a Muslim." — Interview with Bill O'Reilly